WEBVTT GERRY: WE CAN ONLY HOPE THAT TOMTASSELMYER AND HIS GOOD FRIENDMOTHER NATURE PROVIDES US THEKIND OF CONDITIONS WE HAVE AT"TODAY.ABSOLUTELY IDEAL AS WE START TOPOINT OUR ATTENTION TOWARDSATURDAY'S 142ND RUNNING OF THEPREAKNESS STAKES.ALWAYS DREAMING WHO ONE IN --WHO ON IN KENTUCKY.A NECK IN THE FINISH, WINNING BYA NOSE AND IN 2007, CURL ANDSTREETS CENTS.-- STREET SENSE.IT IS A TALE OF TWO HORSES.ALWAYS DREAMING'S JOCKEY DID NOTHAVE A SPEC OF DIRT.CLASSIC EMPIRE WHO WAS TRAINEDBY MARK KASSIE GOT BUMPED OUT OFTHE GAME IN A MUST FELL DOWN.HIS JOCKEY DID A REMARKABLE JOBOF DOING THE HORSE UP RIGHT.MARK KASSIE'S SON BELIEVES IFHIS HORSE CAN GET A BETTER BREAKFROM THE GATE SATURDAY AT THEPREAKNESS, WE MIGHT HAVE ACLASSIC FINISH BETWEEN ALWAYSDREAMING AND CLASSIC EMPIRE.>> I THOUGHT HE LOOKED REALLYAWESOME THIS MORNING.I AM ALWAYS APPREHENSIVE THEFIRST TIME A HORSE GOES TO A NEWTRACK.ESPECIALLY WHERE THERE IS A LOTOF THINGS TO LOOK AT.SOMETIMES THEY CAN BELACKADAISICAL BUT HE WAS ON THEBRIDLE.HE IS LOOKING REALLY SMITH.-- SMOOTH.GERR WE ALWAYS HAVE A NEWHORSE WHEN THE PREAKNESS EVERYYEAR.IF ONE OF THOSE TWO FINISHESFIRST WE WILL HAVE A NEWCONNECTION IN THE WINNER'SCIRCLE.THE TRAINER FOR ALWAYS DREAMING,MARK CASSIE, THE TRAINER FOR

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Kentucky Derby champ ‘in a zone’ while training for 142nd Preakness

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Updated: 10:55 AM EDT May 19, 2017

Kentucky Derby-winner Always Dreaming provided trainer Todd Pletcher with another no-drama morning Wednesday at Pimlico Race Course.
It was a routine day on the road to Saturday’s 142nd Preakness: a 1 1/2-mile gallop with exercise rider Nick Bush just after the track opened for training at 5:30 a.m.
Always Dreaming, who had briefly misbehaved Monday morning when he went to the track, went about his business in a professional way Wednesday.
“I thought he went great,” Pletcher said. “He’s feeling super, strong but controlled, just like we’d like to see.”
While training at Churchill Downs prior to his 2 3/4-length victory in the Derby, the son of Bodemeister was on edge and too aggressive in his training. Pletcher changed riders to the stronger Bush and added draw reins, equipment that gives the rider more control. That worked well and Always Dreaming has been a good actor at Pimlico every day but Monday, when he tried to buck Bush off his back. The activity level around the stakes barn has increased this week and Pletcher said that Always Dreaming has handled it well.
“We were out early, as soon as the track opened, but he was well behaved around the barn, on his way to the track and on his way back from the track,” Pletcher said. “I thought he was in a zone. He was focused and galloped strongly, but was under control throughout.”
Pletcher said Always Dreaming seems to be coming up to the Preakness like he did to the Derby.
“He’s been training great for a long time now and he continues to show us the same things he was showing us leading up to the Derby,” Pletcher said. “He’s full of himself. He’s energetic. He’s showing us everything we hoped he would.”
So far, Always Dreaming has not reacted to the stress of the Derby victory, like Pletcher’s first Derby winner, Super Saver, did in 2010.
“With Super Saver, my concern was the two-week turnaround was a little quick for him,” Pletcher said. “He was eating well and he was acting well, but I wasn’t seeing the same energy level from him galloping. When he was really good, he would be somewhat aggressive to gallop. The few days that we were here leading up to it, he wasn’t putting the same into his gallops that he was at Churchill and I think the two-week turnaround hurt him.
“I’m not seeing that with Always Dreaming right now,” he added. “I feel like he is ready to go.”

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Always Dreaming, who had briefly misbehaved Monday morning when he went to the track, went about his business in a professional way Wednesday.

“I thought he went great,” Pletcher said. “He’s feeling super, strong but controlled, just like we’d like to see.”

While training at Churchill Downs prior to his 2 3/4-length victory in the Derby, the son of Bodemeister was on edge and too aggressive in his training. Pletcher changed riders to the stronger Bush and added draw reins, equipment that gives the rider more control. That worked well and Always Dreaming has been a good actor at Pimlico every day but Monday, when he tried to buck Bush off his back. The activity level around the stakes barn has increased this week and Pletcher said that Always Dreaming has handled it well.

“We were out early, as soon as the track opened, but he was well behaved around the barn, on his way to the track and on his way back from the track,” Pletcher said. “I thought he was in a zone. He was focused and galloped strongly, but was under control throughout.”

Pletcher said Always Dreaming seems to be coming up to the Preakness like he did to the Derby.

“He’s been training great for a long time now and he continues to show us the same things he was showing us leading up to the Derby,” Pletcher said. “He’s full of himself. He’s energetic. He’s showing us everything we hoped he would.”

So far, Always Dreaming has not reacted to the stress of the Derby victory, like Pletcher’s first Derby winner, Super Saver, did in 2010.

“With Super Saver, my concern was the two-week turnaround was a little quick for him,” Pletcher said. “He was eating well and he was acting well, but I wasn’t seeing the same energy level from him galloping. When he was really good, he would be somewhat aggressive to gallop. The few days that we were here leading up to it, he wasn’t putting the same into his gallops that he was at Churchill and I think the two-week turnaround hurt him.

“I’m not seeing that with Always Dreaming right now,” he added. “I feel like he is ready to go.”